It is rather difficult and somewhat time consuming to create the traditional gift basket wherein fruit and cheese, etc are arranged pyramidally above a basket and spaced by paper stuffed within the interstices created thereby, the whole assemblage being held together by a sheet of colored cellophane and finished off with a bow on top.
At holiday time when demand for such baskets runs high it is difficult to train people to make up these baskets and this limits production in the small stores which traditionally specialize in this type of product.
Additionally, if fruit is not properly stacked spoilage is accelerated with dire results.